Why this ride
156 km from Mudu to Mudu, about 2 h 32 of riding. It goes by way of The Lingering Garden, Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal, The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty and The Retreat & Reflection Garden.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Classical Gardens of Suzhou and The Retreat & Reflection Garden
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 156 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 32
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Classical Gardens of Suzhou
A classical Chinese garden is a whole landscape squeezed into a courtyard: rocks stand in for mountains, ponds for lakes, and a winding covered walkway reveals one framed view after another, each window cut in a different shape. Suzhou, a canal city west of Shanghai, perfected the art over centuries, as scholars, officials and merchants built private retreats behind high white walls. Nine of its gardens are listed by UNESCO as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, among them the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden and the tiny, exquisite Master-of-Nets Garden, and the Retreat and Reflection Garden in the water town of Tongli.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Classical Gardens of Suzhou is where the day begins. Next is The Lingering Garden.
2. The Lingering Garden
The Lingering Garden, called Liu Yuan, is one of the four most famous gardens in China, and a masterpiece of the Suzhou school. It began in the sixteenth century as the private garden of an official of the Ming dynasty, and was later rebuilt by a Qing dynasty owner, whose family name, Liu, gave it its present name, which also means lingering or staying on, and that is exactly what visitors want to do. It belongs to the UNESCO listing of the classical gardens of Suzhou, from 1997, and it covers a couple of hectares, with halls, pavilions, corridors, ponds and rockeries arranged in a design that seems to turn a small space into a landscape.
Read the complete The Lingering Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Lingering Garden comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
3. Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Grand Canal is the longest artificial waterway in the world, running from Beijing to Hangzhou, and the Jiangnan section through Suzhou is one of its most storied stretches. Here, the canal winds through a landscape of water towns, rice fields and lakes, past ancient bridges, temples and gardens. It is part of the World Heritage site that recognises the canal as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the pre-industrial world.
Read the complete Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 36 km into the recorded legs you reach Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. Next is The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty.
4. The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
Suzhou has been famous for its gardens for centuries, and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, known in Chinese as Huanxiu Shanzhuang, is one of the nine that UNESCO lists among the classical gardens of the city. It lies in the western part of town, a short way from the old centre, and it is quieter than the more famous gardens on the tourist trail. The name suggests a mountain retreat that holds beauty within it, and the design delivers on that: a pond at the centre, pavilions around it and a large rockery of weathered limestone that is the best-known feature.
Read the complete The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, about halfway. Next is The Retreat & Reflection Garden.
5. The Retreat & Reflection Garden
The name says almost everything. Tuisi Garden, the Garden of Retreat and Reflection, was built in the 1880s in the water town of Tongli by an official named Ren Lansheng after he was dismissed from his post, and he called it after the old idea that a man out of office should withdraw and think about his faults. What he actually created was one of the most graceful small gardens in the region: pavilions and halls arranged around a pond as if they were floating on it, with rockeries, covered walkways and windows that frame views like paintings.
Read the complete The Retreat & Reflection Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Retreat & Reflection Garden sits at 83 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty.
6. back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty comes up about 106 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal.
7. back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal. Next is back through The Lingering Garden.
8. back through The Lingering Garden
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Lingering Garden write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Lingering Garden, late in the day. Next is Classical Gardens of Suzhou.
9. Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Classical Gardens of Suzhou write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 156 km.
Leg by leg
Classical Gardens of Suzhou to The Lingering Garden
Classical Gardens of Suzhou → The Lingering Garden is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Lingering Garden to Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
The Lingering Garden → Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty to The Retreat & Reflection Garden
The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty → The Retreat & Reflection Garden is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Retreat & Reflection Garden to back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
The Retreat & Reflection Garden → back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty to back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal
back through The Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty → back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal to back through The Lingering Garden
back through Suzhou Section of Jiangnan Canal → back through The Lingering Garden is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Lingering Garden to Classical Gardens of Suzhou
back through The Lingering Garden → Classical Gardens of Suzhou is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.